Author Archive: Amy Mortensen

Collectors today can find an enormous selection of Coca-cola memorabilia and collectibles, Coca-Cola collectors divide themselves up into smaller groups of collectors. There are those who specialize in bottles, cans, clocks, signs, toys, trays, and many other groups. Some collectors focus on just one group of items while others collect a little bit of everything. There are several items you can start your Coca-Cola collection with including bottles, wooden crates, metal serving trays, and calendars.

Coca-Cola Bottles

Coca-Cola did not originally intend to sell its products in bottles. In fact, the first man to bottle Coca-Cola did so without the permission of the company; in 1894 Joseph Biedenharn began to bottle Coke so customers could take the carbonated drink to picnics and other spots outside of the soda fountain. There are many styles, and even colors, of Coca-Cola bottles. The earliest bottles had very different shapes from the contour bottles we see today. Most bottlers produced clear bottles, but some bottlers went with light green, a widely used and less expensive color. Because bottles were still hand-blown into molds until about 1910, irregularities were common. In addition to the embossed “Coca-Cola” on the bottles themselves, bottlers also glued a diamond-shaped paper label to the side of each bottle to further identify its contents. Dating Coca-Cola bottles made after 1916 is relatively straightforward, thanks to the manufacturer’s numbers on the base or bottom of the bottle. These four-digit numbers, which are separated into pairs by a dash, identify the bottle mold (the first two numbers) and the year of its manufacture (“30,” for example, would indicate 1930). Newer bottles also have four-digit numbers, but they provide even more information. In these bottles, the first digit represents the year, the second indicates the mold, the third is the manufacturer’s symbol, and the fourth identifies the plant where the glass bottle was blown.

Coca-Cola Wooden Cases

Wooden cartons were generally used in the 1940s while paper was in relatively short supply due to the outbreak of World War II. These wooden cartons come in a variety of shapes and sizes with different designs. Coca-Cola also made wooden crates meant to hold a dozen bottles as well as wooden carriers for six-packs, often made out of planks of wood but in some cases made of bent veneers. There are often a wide variety of cases and crates available on Ebay.

Coca-Cola Metal Trays

Coca-Cola began distributing tin serving and change trays to soda fountains in 1897. Trays produced from that date until 1968 belong to the first, or classic, period of Coca-Cola trays. Because trays made from 1970 onward were often reissues of older trays or were made from new materials, these trays belong to the modern age of Coke trays. The earliest trays often have the slogan “Delicious and Refreshing,” but slogans changed over time, with phrases like “Drink Coca-Cola,” “Coke Refreshes You Best,” “Here’s a Coke for you,” and “Be Really Refreshed!” Some trays had no slogan at all, only the familiar Coca-Cola logo.

Coca-Cola Calendars

The earliest known Coca-Cola advertising calendar was issued for 1891. Using the latest printing technology, the company published a beautiful full-color lithographed calendar with an image of a pretty young woman drinking Coke. It’s believed that Coca-Cola distributed at least one calendar every year, although calendars from 1905 and 1906 have never been found. Early calendars promoted the “health” benefits of Coke; for example, the 1897 calendar called “Victorian Girl” reads, “Delicious and Refreshing. Relieves Mental and Physical Exhaustion. Cures headaches.” A 1904 calendar is unusual because it features a little girl, breaking an unspoken rule of the era that discouraged using children in advertisements. The 1908 calendar contained the slogan “Good to the Last Drop,” which was later trademarked by Maxwell House Coffee.

Hattie Carnegie (1889 -1956) was born in Vienna, Austria. Her name was Henrietta Kanengeiser. In 1900, she immigrated to the United States, and settled with her family in New York City. By the time she was 20 she had adopted “Carnegie” as her last name after Andrew Carnegie who was, at the time, the richest person in America. As a teenager Henrietta worked at Macy’s as a salesgirl, she became a student of women’s clothing and her job in the hat department earned her the nickname “Hattie.”

Hattie Carnegie Ad 1934

In 1909 Hattie opened her first shop with her friend, seamstress Rose Roth; Carnegie-Ladies Hatter. Initially Roth developed the dressmaking side of the business while Hattie focus on the hat design. In 1919 Carnegie bought Roth’s share of the business, taking over the clothing design. This was the beginning of Hattie Carnegie Inc. which would lead to a chain of exclusive boutiques across the United States and eventually an $8 million fashion empire.

Vogue 1958

Carnegie’s designs,whether it was hats, clothing, or jewelry, were coveted by Hollywood stars and celebrities including; Tallulah Bankhead, Joan Fontaine, Lucille Ball, and Joan Crawford. Carnegie had an inherent instinct for American women would desire. She flew to Paris on a regular basis to research the latest French fashion; returning home to adapt the look to meet American sensibilities.

Carnegie Ad – 1943

Despite the depression of the 1930’s Carnegie’s business thrived as she continued to add more departments to her store; it was said that a lady could be dressed from “Hat to hem” at Hattie Carnegie. By the 1940s Carnegie’s store was actually a department store; it included a handbag department, where a customer could order a specific bag to match an outfit, the fur salon, a millinery department with a ready-to-wear hat section, a costume jewelry department, an antique furniture and glass department, a cosmetics department and ready-to-wear designs from other design houses.

By 1940, Carnegie’s operation was so large that it employed over 1000 workers. Most of them worked in the manufacturing of her ready-to-wear lines, but her custom shop continued to be the foundation of her business and reputation. Carnegie became known as a woman of taste, and she was so renowned that she was often featured in her own ads.

During the 1950s, Carnegie continued to make the types of clothes that women across the country had come to expect from her chic but conventional dresses and suits. She especially liked the little black dress, and was known for using a particular shade of blue; “Carnegie Blue.” She continued to make hats, accessories and jewelry. Carnegie also produced ballgowns at this time, often adapted from the French couturiers.

Carnegie Ad 1950’s

Hattie Carnegie died in 1956. Although the business remained open after her death much of the desirability of the label lay in the woman herself and eventually the label lost its appeal. The Custom Salon was closed in 1965 with the company continuing to produce jewelry, hats and accessories until 1976 when the business closed for good. Hattie Carnegie’s jewelry is highly prized and collectible today.

Alfred Hitchcock’s place among legendary film directors has long been secure due to a long line of classics stretching from gems like The 39 Steps (1935) and The Lady Vanishes (1938), to the films that reigned Hollywood for the next 30 years; including Notorious ( 1946 ), Rear Window ( 1954 ), Psycho (1960) and The Birds ( 1963 ). He created stylish, beautifully constructed, and visually opulent films that masterfully showcased the period’s most alluring stars; including Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly, Cary Grant, and James Stewart. No filmmaker has paralleled his popularity and critical acclaim within their own lifetime.

1935 “39 Steps” Poster

Born in London on August 13, 1899, Alfred Hitchcock worked for a short time in engineering before entering the film industry in 1920. Hitchcock studied engineering at St. Ignatius College in London and quickly obtained a job as a draftsman and advertising designer for the cable company Henley’s. It was while working at Henley’s that he began to write, submitting short articles for the in-house publication. From his very first piece, he employed themes of false accusations, conflicted emotions and twist endings with impressive skill. In 1920, Hitchcock entered the film industry with a full-time position at the Famous Players-Lasky Company designing title cards for silent films. Within a few years, he was working as an assistant director.

In 1925, Hitchcock directed his first film and began making the “thrillers” for which he became known the world over. His 1929 film Blackmail is said to be the first British “talkie.” In the 1930s, he directed such classic suspense films as The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) and The 39 Steps (1935). He left for Hollywood in 1939, where his first American film, Rebecca, won an Academy Award for best picture.

Rebecca 1940

Hitchcock’s films during the 1940s were diverse, ranging from the romantic comedy Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) to the courtroom drama The Paradine Case(1947) to the dark and disturbing film noir Shadow of a Doubt (1943). Suspicion (1941) marked Hitchcock’s first film as both a producer as well as director. Although the film was set in England Hitchcock used the north coast of Santa Cruz, California, for the English coastline. This film was Cary Grant’s first picture with Hitchcock, and it is notable as one of the few times that Grant would be cast in a sinister role.

Suspicion 1941

The 1950’s was an amazingly productive decade for Hitchcock. He made several films that would become minor classics including; Dial “M” for Murder (1954), Strangers on a Train (1954), and To Catch a Thief (1955). He also made four movies that are considered to be some of his best work: Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), and North by Northwest (1959).

Rear Window 1954

North by Northwest 1959

In 1960 Hitchcock created his best known film, Psycho. Psycho was a low budget film for Hitchcock with a budget of $800,000; it was shot in black-and-white on a sparse set. The unprecedented violence of the shower scene, the early death of the heroine, and the innocent lives snuffed out by a disturbed murderer became the defining hallmarks of Hitchcock’s new horror genre. Psycho was followed by The Birds (1963) and the romantic psychological drama Marnie (1964).

Psycho 1960

The Birds 1963

By the 1970’s Hitchcock’s career was winding down. Frenzy was released in 1972, a tale centered around a string of “Necktie Murders”. His final film was released in 1976 with Family Plot.

He received the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award in 1979. One year later, on April 29, 1980, Hitchcock died peacefully in his sleep in Bel Air, California. He was survived by his lifetime partner, assistant director and closest collaborator, Alma Reville, also known as “Lady Hitchcock,” who died in 1982.

Vidal Sassoon was a revolutionary; he completely changed the relationship women have with their hair. Before Vidal Sassoon came on to the scene in the late 1950’s weekly hair appointments were mandatory in order to have your hair “set”. Nights were spent sleeping in uncomfortable curlers.

1940’s Hair Salon

Mr. Sassoon’s revolution was to emphasis the cut. He brought a modern eye to hair dressing that saw the hair cut as architecture. He designed and cut his clients’ hair into geometric shapes with sharp angles in order to complement the bone structure of their faces. These modern, short and striking styles embodied a new type of sexy. These styles were easy to care for and maintain establishing the wash-and-wear look. This new style would go on to drive the revolution of youthful fashion that took over London, America and the rest of the world in the 1960’s.

Classic Vidal Sassoon Cuts

The original version of the quintessential Sassoon style was known as the five-point cut; a snug, sleek helmet with a W cut at the nape of the neck and a pointed spike in front of each ear. He went on to develop a range of geometrical bobs including The Box Bob, The Inverted Bob, the Long Bob and The Asymmetrical Bob. He also gave us the Pixie Cut which was showcased on Mia Farrow in the movie “Rosemary’s Baby”.

Inverted Bob on Nancy Quan

Mia Farrow being styled by Vidal Sassoon

Mr. Sassoon became a pioneer in business as well by creating a line of hair products under his name. His shampoos, conditioners and other hair care products were famously sold trough a series of television commercials featuring women with lustrous hair and the handsome and suave Mr. Sassoon at their side declaring, “If you don’t look good, we don’t look good.” Sales reached more than $100 million annually before he sold the company in 1983.

“If you don’t look good, we don’t look good.”

Vidal Sassoon continues to have a profound influence on hairstyles and hair dressers and his work will live on forever. His legacy includes, in addition to the haircuts, a full line of Vidal Sassoon products, his autobiography and a book; “Cutting Hair the Vidal Sassoon Way“.

Avon History:Over 120 years old, the company was founded in 1886 in New York City as the California Perfume Company. It didn’t take long for “CPC” to reach 10,000 representatives in 1906. That same year, 1906, was when the first color brochure was distributed. In 1928 the company boasted 25,000 representatives and introduced the first products under the name of Avon. In 1937 the company’s name officially changed to Avon Products, Inc.

During the mid 1960’s Avon began marketing novelty containers and the first Glass Car Decanter is introduced in 1968. This is followed over the next 25 years with hundreds of interesting novelty and figural decanters in both Men’s and Women’s lines. The product line itself grows to includes Fancy Soaps, Scented Candles and Holders, a complete Children’s Line of plastic toys filled with soaps and bubble baths, Stationery items, Christmas ornaments and Special Occasion gift packs, even Avon Jewelly introduced in 1971 and Family Fashions in 1973.

There are many Avon Collector Clubs in North America that can be contacted, and several books with history and information on Avon available.

Start your collection with a cookie jar that you like or maybe a cookie jar that is meaningful to you. Maybe you’re looking for the cookie jar that used to sit on your grandmother’s kitchen counter when you were little. When you spot the one you want, make sure you conduct the appropriate research before buying, especially if it is claimed to be an original or antique.

The Hidden Treasure

Search garage sales or estate sales for cookie jars to collect. Often it is possible to find a cookie jar tucked away in the corner at these sales. If you are lucky, you might even find one that is worth considerably more than the garage sale price.

Looks Can Be Deceiving

Flea markets and antique malls usually have a nice selections of cookie jars intermingled throughout their displays. Again, be careful of what you are purchasing, if it has a large price tag make sure you are purchasing what you think you are.

To Bid or Not to Bid?

Browse the online or Internet auction sites. These are terrific venues for shopping and researching the various cookie jars out there to bid on. Look at the photos carefully to guard against buying a cookie jar that has cracks or chips, as this would decrease the value. If necessary contact the seller to verify the condition. Be wary of blurry photos as they may be intentionally concealing flaws.

Betty Boop Character Cookie Jar

Character Cookie Jars

Character cookie jars come in all shapes and sizes so there is something for every type of buyer. Whether it’s Blues Clues, Cat in the Hat, Disney characters or Harry Potter, a character cookie jar can be found for just about any pop culture category. Perhaps you are looking for old-time character cookie jars with characters, such as, Betty Boop, The Flintstones, Garfield, Looney Tunes or the Pink Panther, they are all out there.

Coca~Cola Cookie Jar

Memorabilia Cookie Jars

Vintage Coke memorabilia, a staple among collectors, makes collecting more exciting for some cookie jar collectors. Coca Cola cookie jars are created with different styles and personal preferences in mind. The result is a large selection of various types to satisfy the need of every cookie jar collector.

Animal Cookie Jars

There are animal cookie jars created with every type of animal lover in mind. Whether it’s an owl, rooster, dog, cat or bear, animal cookie jars exist with your favorite animal. Many animal cookie jars are crossover collectibles with characters from pop culture, like Garfield or Snoopy.

I’ve learned a lot in the last few years about vintage salt and pepper shakers. In researching the owl shakers from my grandmother’s collection I have come across some excellent manufacturers including Holt Howard, Napco, Lego, and Enesco. Most of these seem to be imported from Japan. Here is some background and lovely examples of these great companies.Holt Howard

Brothers John and Robert Howard, and Grant Holt met and became friends while at the Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts. The parents of the boys loaned them $9,000.00 to start their business. The business started in 1949 in an apartment on 35th Street in Manhattan, New York.

Originally they did not start out as an importing company. In the beginning they concentrated on Christmas items since in the 1950s Christmas items were very popular. Soon Holt-Howard began to branch out into kitchen-related items which also met with great success.

Pixieware is what the Holt Howard company is best remembered for, produced from about 1958 until the early 1960s. Holt Howard Pixieware is immediately recognizable for the elf heads which adorn the condiment jars and other kitchen ware, painted with bright colors and clever facial expressions from happiness to sadness.

Holt-Howard ceased production in 1990.

Napco Ceramics

Established in 1938 in Bedford, Ohio, the National Potteries Corporation, otherwise known as Napco, imports various styles of ceramic, glass, and china giftware. Irwin Garber, who would later launch INARCO, joined the company in the mid 1940’s and spearheaded its development of head vases. Owned and operated in the Midwest, Napco distributed a variety of collectibles, including decorative wall accessories, ashtrays, ceramic and wood house wares, floral arrangements, ceramic planters, decorative glass, novelty figurines, mugs, trivets, and Christmas ceramics.

Napco used a wide array of marks for its head vases—some transfer marks and some paper labels. The paper labels feature various wording, such as: “A Napco Collection,” “Napco originals by Giftware,” “National Potteries Co., Cleveland, OH, Made in Japan,” and “Napcoware, Import Japan.”

Lego Imports

Lego Imports-Goldman Morgan, the company’s full name, which represents a fusion of the first and last name of the company’s president: Leo Goldman. Based in New York, the manufacturer is known for distributing a variety of collectibles, including bar accessories, figurines, and mugs. The company’s head vases feature a paper label that reads: “Fine Quality Lego Japan.”

Enesco Imports

One of the largest head vase manufacturers in the world, Enesco was founded in 1959 by Eugene Freedman. Originally operating a small plastics and figurine company in Milwaukee, Freedman soon joined a Chicago-based import company, which had spun off of a prominent wholesale merchandising operation, N. Shure Co., the name of which morphed into N.S. Co.—and ultimately, Enesco.

The company began by marketing Southeast Asian giftware out of its modest Elk Grove, IL facilities; by the 80s, Enesco had expanded its presence throughout the U.S., and into Canada, Puerto Rico, Hong Kong, and Europe. Most designs of Enesco head vases were made by Japanese pottery makers and are marked exclusively with paper labels

Ok so I’m still getting a feel for WordPress since moving from Blogger. As soon as I figure out what’s what here I’ll be posting some articles on vintage owls, collecting those owls and various other vintage and owl related topics.

I hope to share some of the knowledge I have gained over the last 2 1/2 years since I inherited my grandmother’s owl collection. I’ve learned about not only vintage owls but the owls actual owls they represent. I have met lots of owl fanatics over the years and I am hoping to share some of their stories with you.

If you love owls and or vintage feel free to contact me if you have a great story to tell about your chosen obsession.